1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for dispensing and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a method and apparatus for dispensing food products and food product concentrates, such as pizza sauce, soft ice cream, mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, soup, salad dressing, juice concentrates, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
The viscosity of food products varies widely and ranges from relatively hard (e.g., soft ice creams) to semi-liquids (e.g., pizza sauce, ketchup, and mustard) to liquids (e.g., soups). Problems associated with viscous products or soups that contain solids arise because an employee or a customer typically manually dispenses such products. These problems relate to consistency, quality, cost, cleanliness, and the like.
For example, ketchup and mustard usually have separate dispensers that each consist of a container having a pump. Although employees do not directly dispense ketchup and mustard, an employee must fill the dispensers when they are empty. This results in direct employee contact with both the dispensers and the ketchup and mustard. Furthermore, if the dispensers are not routinely cleaned or are cleaned improperly, an unsanitary condition situation arises.
As another example, some food products, such as pizza sauce or soup, come in concentrate packages. An employee opens the concentrate package and empties the package into a large, typically open container. The employee then adds water and mixes the concentrate and water to form the final product. Then, as needed for final preparation or consumption, an employee or customer ladles the final product from the large open container. Thus, the final product can remain uncovered for long periods and employees or customers often contact the final product, both of which are unsanitary.
Manual dispensing of food products occurs because heretofore the cost for dispensers suitable to dispense such products has been prohibitive. Accordingly, a product dispenser and a method of dispensing food product are needed that permit self-contained dispensing of food products and food product concentrates, such as pizza sauce, soft ice cream, mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, soup, salad dressing, and the like.
In accordance with the present invention, a product dispenser includes a support housing, a disposable or non-disposable pump, a disposable or non-disposable product package connectable to the pump, a pump driver connectable to the pump, and a dispensing station.
The dispensing station may also include a platform secured to a support housing, a base residing on the platform over the pump driver and defining a pump slot that receives the pump therein, and a container supported by the base that receives the disposable product package therein. The disposable product package and the pump driver connect to the pump. The pump driver operates the pump to draw product from the disposable product package. When the disposable pro duct package is empty, the disposable product package and the pump if disposable are removed from the dispensing station and disposed.
The disposable product package may include a bag and a fitting secured to the bag wherein the fitting snap fits into an inlet of the pump adapted to receive the fitting therein. A mixing chamber is connectable to an outlet of the pump, whereby the mixing chamber is disposable with the pump if disposable when the disposable product package is empty. The mixing chamber includes a diluent inlet that introduces diluent into the mixing chamber for combination with product delivered into the mixing chamber by the disposable pump. A product delivery device may be coupled to an outlet of the mixing chamber.
The pump driver may include a driving fork connectable to the pump and a driver unit coupled with the driving fork, whereby the driver unit operates the driving fork to facilitate the drawing of product by the pump from the disposable product package. The pump driver may further include a frame mountable to the dispensing station and adapted to link the driving fork with the driver unit.
The driver unit may include a motor coupled with the driving fork via a drive shaft engageable with the driving fork and a gearbox coupled with the drive shaft and with the motor for transferring the driving force of the motor to the drive shaft. The driver unit may further include a clutch unit mountable onto the drive shaft for interfacing the drive shaft with driving fork. The driving fork includes an interface that engages a piston of the pump to couple the driving fork with the pump and a drive slot that engages the drive shaft of the driver unit to couple the driving fork with the driver unit.
A method of dispensing product includes inserting a disposable pump into a dispensing station. A disposable product package is inserted into a dispensing station. The disposable product package is connected to the disposable pump. A pump driver is connected to the disposable pump. The disposable pump is operated via the pump driver to draw product from the disposable product package. The disposable product package and the disposable pump are removed from the dispensing station and disposed when the disposable product package is empty.
Another method of dispensing a product measures diluent flow and controls a disposable pump, based on the measured flow, to pump the product. The diluent and the product are mixed and dispensed. The method further includes shipping the product and the pump, coupling the product to the pump at a location where dispensing occurs, and installing the coupled product and pump in a dispenser. Conversely, the product and pump may be coupled during installation in the dispenser. Alternatively, the method further includes coupling the product and the pump, shipping the coupled product and pump to a location where dispensing occurs, and installing the coupled product and pump in a dispenser.
Still another method of dispensing a product includes shipping a disposable pump, shipping the product, coupling the product to the pump at a location where dispensing occurs, pumping the product in the pump, and dispensing the product. The method further includes installing the coupled product and pump in a dispenser or, conversely, coupling the product and pump during installation in the dispenser. Alternatively, the product and pump may be shipped together. The method still further includes mixing the product with a diluent and dispensing the mixture of the product and the diluent.
A further method of dispensing product includes coupling the product to a disposable pump, shipping the coupled product and pump to a location where dispensing occurs, installing the coupled product and pump in a dispenser, pumping the product, and dispensing the product.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a product dispenser that receives a disposable product package and a disposable pump therein.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a product dispenser that includes a pump therein and receives a disposable product package therein.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a product dispenser that combines a product concentrate with a diluent during dispensing to form and end product thereof.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a product dispenser suitable for connection with an end product delivery device.
Still other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become evident to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the following. Also, it should be understood that the scope of this invention is intended to be broad, and any combination of any subset of the features, elements, or steps described herein is part of the intended scope of the invention.